Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
